Due to the particular circumstances created by the local elections on March 31 and the long Eid holiday, we had to take a long break from the Freedom Observer.&nbsp;The 2024 local government elections, which had been campaigned for months, were finally held on March 31, with a surprising outcome. First of all, the Republican People's Party, the largest opposition party in terms of votes in the mayoral elections, came first in the country with nearly 38% of the vote, while the Justice and Development Party, the first partner in the government and the first party for 22 years, came second with 35.5% of the vote.The second surprising result of the elections was the rise of the Welfare Party to third place with a total of 6% of the vote. The DEM Party and MHP, the prominent parties on the left and right, respectively, saw a decline in their votes, falling to around 5%. The IYI Party, known for its ambitious leadership, dropped to 6th place with 3% of the vote and suffered significant losses. Meanwhile, the Felicity Party, Future Party, and DEVA Party failed to make substantial gains.Another contributing factor is the decrease in voter turnout by approximately 5%, indicating that a significant portion of non-participating voters were traditional AKP supporters. (Some former AKP voters may have reverted to voting for the Welfare Party in this election.) Additionally, it can be inferred that approximately half of the 800,000 new voters who reached voting age since the May 2023 elections cast their votes in favor of the CHP.It should be noted that the CHP's success in the local elections does not guarantee victory in the presidential and parliamentary polls typically scheduled for 2028. Many factors could influence the party dynamics over the next four years. At present, the following observations can be made: If the new chairman continues the 'Turkey Alliance,' which is a partial extension of the 'People's Alliance' and the policy of openness initiated by former chairman Kılıçdaroğlu, and supports it with a libertarian-democratic agenda, along with the contribution of the 2 million new voters who will come of age by then, the CHP could go very close to assuming power in both the legislative and executive branches in 2028. Specifically, if the CHP aims to lead the central administration, it appears that this strategy may be its only viable option.Meanwhile, the election results, which dealt a significant blow to his party, appear to have prompted MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli to make new statements reminiscent of his typical style. Following the elections and on the eve of Eid, Bahçeli reacted to CHP leader Özel's statement that "we have broken the glass ceiling" in reference to their success in the local elections by saying, "Those who claim to have broken the glass ceiling will never be given the opportunity to undermine the foundations of the Turkish state and the existence of the Turkish nation. The Republic of Turkey was not established through ballot boxes. Turkish history was not written in ballot boxes. Everyone needs to come to their senses and remember that sowing the wind will only bring about the whirlwind." In the same speech, Bahçeli also commented on the granting of the mayoral position to the DEM Party candidate in Van, stating, "To argue that this decision is in line with the will of the nation is folly and deceit. The resolute will of the Turkish nation stands firmly against all forms of separatism, division, terrorism, and terrorists.''While it may be somewhat expected for Bahçeli and his party to accuse the DEM Party of separatism and terrorism due to its known ideological stance, it is entirely unacceptable for Bahçeli to use the same harsh rhetoric against the CHP. His leader's characterization of even the main opposition party's aspirations for power based on electoral success as a threat to the state and the nation and his dismissal of its calls for democratic reforms within the established order as an affront to democracy, as evidenced by statements such as 'the Republic was not founded at the ballot box,' which reflects a fear of democracy, is reprehensible. If I were in favor of dissolving political parties, I would argue that the MHP should be dissolved by the Constitutional Court immediately due to its undemocratic objectives and actions!Furthermore, one would expect the ruling parties to demonstrate democratic maturity and respect for the election results despite their defeat, based on their speeches and statements immediately following the elections. However, this was not the case in reality. In addition to the anti-democratic response from the MHP's leader, as previously mentioned, the AKP also attempted to usurp control of the metropolitan municipality in Van through alternative means. Essentially, they sought to appoint a 'trustee' to the mayoralty of Van, but fortunately, this attempt was temporarily thwarted by the Supreme Electoral Council. More details on this issue can be found in A. Rıza Çoban's article below. Ö. Faruk Şen also delves into the impact of the debate on trade with Israel on the elections and its implications for freedom of expression."Meanwhile, while the process for the election of the new 'First President' of the Court of Cassation, which has become a drawn-out saga, continues with little hope of resolution, the transition of the presidency of the Constitutional Court occurred without any issues. As previously reported, an election was held to fill the vacancy left by Zühtü Arslan, who had resigned from the Constitutional Court and Kadir Özkaya was elected as the new President of the Court. Following the farewell ceremony for former President Zühtü Arslan on April 20, he officially stepped down from his position as a member of the Constitutional Court.However, the prolonged delay in the election of the President of the Court of Cassation has evolved into what appears to be a 'judicial' crisis. Unfortunately, behind this apparent judicial crisis lies a political crisis, with the AKP and the MHP appearing as the main actors. In the current political climate dominated by the AKP and the MHP, crises originating from the Court of Cassation can quickly escalate into political crises, as evidenced by recent unfortunate developments in the Osman Kavala case. Thus, while regrettable, we are not entirely surprised by these events.Looking forward to the next Freedom Observer!

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